Rights of Owners

Question Our property is over 200 years old. Before we bought the property, and obviously before there was such strict planning laws, a large commercial building, currently being used as a garage, was built. The side wall of the commercial building is very close, probably about a couple of foot, to the back wall of our property. The building ... Read more >>

Question Planning permission has been granted and work has commenced on the detached property adjoining ours. Although we were aware of the planning application and consent, we were not notified that work would commence. The work so far has entailed removing an old extension which formed the boundary between the two properties, and the next stage ... Read more >>

Question My neighbour issued a Party Wall Line of Junction Notice to build a rear extension on the boundary.  I believe the notice was invalid as there were no plans/drawings provided as well as the proposed date was less that 7 from the date the letter was issued.   We responded stating that we could not sign any agreement, listed some ... Read more >>

Question Our neighbour wants to reduce the height of the wall that separates our garden and theirs. The buttresses of the wall are on their side. Does this mean that they own the wall and can do what they like? Do we have any say? The wall has been there for more than a hundred years. If you could shed any light on the situation I'd be really ... Read more >>

Question I live in a Victorian terraced house in London.  My neighbours are proposing to extend their kitchen into their back garden using a party wall recently built by us for a similar extension.  He has not issued me with a notice that this is his intention, but I have been advised by their builder that they intend to start work soon.  ... Read more >>

Question We are being bullied by our neighbour who has got planning permission to build in his back garden. To do this he has to lower the party wall by about a metre between our driveways  to satisfy the local highways. If I do not want the wall lowering do I have to agree with this. If not what action should I be taking before it is ... Read more >>

Question Last August I was doing a loft conversion to my terraced flat and my neighbour requested that we get a party wall drawn up. I suggested one surveyor but he said that he would prefer using another firm of surveyors that he had dealt with for many years. In an effort to speed the process along and keep costs down I agreed to this ... Read more >>

Question My neighbour has knocked down his original extension and is rebuilding it to the same size as ours.  Whilst I was out at work he has removed tiling from our side of our property without asking and has put up plastic sheeting by lifting our roof tiles and putting it underneath them to stop the rain.  I’m not happy with his building ... Read more >>

Question Originally I had a garage that was built as a detached building. It was joined to the neighbour's identical garage when the properties were built in 1961, so essentially 2 garages side by side with a 4 inch wall dividing the two. My roof had become unsound and I decided to replace the whole garage ( with full planning consent ). ... Read more >>

Question I'm thinking of buying a property but it has one drag. The back of the house, which is largely single storey, backs onto the neighbour's garden but it has been banked up over the years to approximately 5-6ft. Meaning that it will have a permanent damp problem I guess. I asked the neighbour when viewing the house if he would mind if I ... Read more >>